The Sweet Shop has added director Brett Foraker to its roster of international talent. His work spans such brands as Toyota, Sony, Virgin Atlantic, Samsung and SyFy as well as recognition from competitions including Cannes Lions, Creative Circle, Clio and D&AD.
The Sweet Shop now handles Foraker globally except for the U.K. where he continues to be represented by RSA Films. Foraker was formerly repped by Disorderly Conduct in the U.S.
A native of California, Foraker began his career in the art world as a photographer and painter. After a series of successful gallery showings in his early 20’s, he moved to England where he took a job as a copywriter. While there, he focused his efforts on broadcast and quickly shot up the ranks to eventually become the youngest creative director in Channel 4’s history. His drive and attention to detail led him to the director’s chair where his skills as a writer and visual artist combined to create pieces that boast strong narrative elements and a unique, surrealist twist.
“Brett’s work has that ‘It’ factor, something that triggers the pulse and activates the emotions,” said Laura Thoel, managing director of The Sweet Shop Los Angeles. “I have been an admirer of his for years, watching and waiting for the opportunity to work with him.”
“The Sweet Shop is focused on creating a place where directors can thrive creatively,” said Foraker of his decision to sign with the global content company. “I am very open to collaboration in all forms and the environment they have built is the perfect fit for that.”
Paul Prince, The Sweet Shop’s CEO and founding partner, said of Foraker, “I first came across Brett’s work when judging D&AD and was transfixed with the genius of his Channel 4 spots. The craft was impeccable.”
Review: Writer-Director Coralie Fargeat’s “The Substance”
In its first two hours, "The Substance" is a well-made, entertaining movie. Writer-director Coralie Fargeat treats audiences to a heavy dose of biting social commentary on ageism and sexism in Hollywood, with a spoonful of sugar- and sparkle-doused body horror.
But the film's deliciously unhinged, blood-soaked and inevitably polarizing third act is what makes it unforgettable.
What begins as a dread-inducing but still relatively palatable sci-fi flick spirals deeper into absurdism and violence, eventually erupting — quite literally — into a full-blown monster movie. Let the viewer decide who the monster is.
Fargeat — who won best screenplay at this year's Cannes Film Festival — has been vocal about her reverence for "The Fly" director David Cronenberg, and fans of the godfather of body horror will see his unmistakable influence. But "The Substance" is also wholly unique and benefits from Fargeat's perspective, which, according to the French filmmaker, has involved extensive grappling with her own relationship to her body and society's scrutiny.
"The Substance" tells the story of Elisabeth Sparkle, a famed aerobics instructor with a televised show, played by a powerfully vulnerable Demi Moore. Sparkle is fired on her 50th birthday by a ruthless executive — a perfectly cast Dennis Quaid, who nails sleazy and gross.
Feeling rejected by a town that once loved her and despairing over her bygone star power, Sparkle learns from a handsome young nurse about a black-market drug that promises to create a "younger, more beautiful, more perfect" version of its user. Though she initially tosses the phone number in the trash, she soon fishes it out in a desperate panic and places an order.
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